Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I just want to thank you all for the support you have given me. You can't image how happy I am to know that I can create something that other people enjoy.

Chapter 13

The Falls

The next morning I woke up and found a note from Kadam-san that had been slipped under the door. It said to pack three or four days' worth of cloths and my swimsuit. I added my dry swimsuit and a towel to the rest of my things in my backpack.

I made my way downstairs, Kadam-san and Ren were already in the Jeep. As soon as my seat belt clicked Kadam-san handed me a breakfast bar and a bottle of juice as he began to drive.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Ren has added a detour to our trip and would like to stop somewhere on the way. I will drop the two of you off for a few days and then return to pick you up later. After that we will proceed to Hampi."

"What are we going to do?" Ren seemed pretty eager to break the curse earlier, it must be something very important if he wants to wait.

"Ren would prefer to explain it to you himself." Kadam-san responded

Hmmm. As I thought it must be something very important, probably personal too with the way they're acting. I decided to change the subject. I was somewhat curious about how India had been during their lives. "Kadam-san, what was your life like growing up?"

"Alright. Let me think. I was born in June, 1655. I was an only child born to a military family of the Kshatriya caste. So it was only natural for me to enter the military."

"Kshatriya caste?" I questioned. It wasn't a term I was familiar with.

"India had four castes, or Varnas, similar to social classes." He explained "Brahmins are teachers, priests, and scholars; the Kshatriya are rulers and protectors; The Vaishyas are farmers and traders; and the Shudras are craft workers and servants."

"There are also different levels in each caste. People of different castes never mingled with another during any part of their life. Their entire life was lived within their own group. Though it has been officially outlawed for over fifty years, it is still practiced in many parts of India."

He sighed. "My wife was from the Kshatriya caste as well. Our parents arranged it, but we were both happy for the time allotted to us."

I stared out the window for a moment. "Kadam-san you don't have to answer my questions if they are painful for you." I know the feeling all too well after all.

"I don't mind Kagome-san. I enjoy talking with you." He smiled at me and changed lanes.

"Then, could you tell me a little bit about your military career?" I asked shyly.

He nodded. "I started training very young, perhaps around four years. We never went to school. Our entire lives were devoted to being good soldiers and all of our studies were in the art of warfare. There were dozens of kingdoms at the time. I was very fortunate to live in one of the most powerful ones under a good King."

I could hear the pride in Kadam-san's voice as he spoke.

"My training began with hand to hand combat. Have you ever seen martial arts movies?"

I smiled. I do live in Japan Kadam-san. "Souta was always more interested in those movies, but yes I know what you're talking about."

"Fighters who were skilled in hand to hand combat were highly sought after. As a young man, I rose in rank quickly because of my skill in that area. No one was able to best me in sparing matches. Well almost no one." He conceded. "Ren has beaten me on occasion."

"Hmmm." I would have liked to spar with you in your prime. Maybe I'll be able spar someday with Ren. "How good was Ren?" I asked curiously.

"He was a master. As the future King he studied the sciences, crafts, the arts, and philosophy, as well as many other branches of knowledge known as the sixty-four arts. He was also trained in all manner of warfare, including the martial arts."

"Ren's mother was also well versed in the martial arts. She had been taught in Asia and insisted that her children be able to protect themselves. Experts were brought in, and our kingdom quickly became renowned for fighting in that medium."

I smiled. I could picture a young Ren being taught by a stern yet loving woman. I could see him trying his best to impress his parents, to make them proud. I know when I started, that was how I felt.

"Kagome-san?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry Kadam-san. I space out a lot sometimes."

"It's fine Kagome-san. Now as I was saying, I started in the largest section, the infantry. I was trained in the sword, the spear, the mace, as well as many other weapons before I moved on to chariots. By the age of twenty-five, I was in charge of the King's army. By the age of thirty-five, my job was to teach others including Ren. I was also the King's special military advisor and war strategist, particularly in the use of elephants."

"Elephants?" I questioned. "I can see how they might be of use, but it wouldn't be very practical to have just a few of them." I could understand the sheer size inflicting terror on people. Not to mention if spikes were strapped to the tusks. But I couldn't image having that many elephants around. They would take up a lot of space and time.

"Elephants are indeed formidable in battle." Kadam-san explained. "They carried a heavily armored structure on their backs to protect archers. Sometimes we secured long daggers dipped in poison to their tusks. It proved very effective in a large direct assault. Just imagine facing an army with twenty-five thousand armored elephants. I don't believe we have that many elephants left in all of India now."

Twenty-five thousand? My eyes widened as I fought to keep the shock off of my face. I could practically see the terror and damage they inflicted. I shuddered.

"War is a terrible thing." I said softly. Although my mind was far from the battle field Kadam-san described.

Kadam-san just shrugged. "War was different then. We followed a warrior's code, similar to Europe's code of chivalry. We had four rules. Rule one: you must fight an opponent who has similar armor. We wouldn't fight a man who did not have the same amount of protective gear. This is similar to the concept of using a weapon against an unarmed man.

I almost laughed. So what then? Did you run around the battle field until you found an opponent?

He continued. "Rule Two: If your enemy can't fight any longer, the battle is over. If you've disabled your opponent and rendered him helpless, you must stop fighting. You don't finish him off."

"Rule three: Soldiers do not kill women, children, the aged, or the infirm, and we do not injure those who surrender. And Rule four: We do not destroy gardens, temples, or other places of worship."

"Our King followed Kshatriadharma, or the Law of Kings, meaning that we could only fight in battles that were considered just, or righteous, and that had the approval of the people."

"Those sound like nice rules, if only people would have followed them in Japan."

Kadam-san turned towards me concerned and said, "Kagome-san?"

My head bowed under the rush of my memories. "In Japan people fought for glory, wealth, power, prestige, and sometimes for no reason at all. Some fought just to shed blood for pure entertainment."

"Neither the Emperor nor the Shogun had any control over the countryside. Warlords tore each other, the people, and the land asunder. Even the so called 'honorable' Samurai abused their power."

"It was an age where people sought power. They sought to use anything and everything they could to further their own ambitions, no matter the cost. The lives of other people, normal people were never important. Not one of them would have even considered following your Law of Kings."

I shuddered again. The Feudal era had been bloody, and I always tried to ignore it. It that age people didn't talk about their problems. Even Sango and Miroku rarely spoke about it. People just tried to live as best as they could, knowing that at any moment they could die at the hands of bandits, war, or even a demon.

And in some ways I was similar to them. I too had fought over the Shikon no tama. My involvement had led to the deaths of so many innocent people. Sango-chan's village, Shippou's parents, the list goes on and on.

I knew I wasn't entirely responsible, after all I didn't tell Naraku to kill them. But it still weighed heavily on my mind, even to this day. I chuckled darkly as I remembered something from my middle school days.

'Which is worse? A person who walks by a piece of trash, notices but doesn't pick it up or a person who walks by and doesn't notice it?'

If I remember correctly sensei said it was the person who didn't notice it. Because someday the person who noticed it might come back and pick it up. I wonder which one I would be? Someone who knowingly caused destruction and didn't care as long as it was for the greater good? I must have trailed off into my thoughts for a good long while because I didn't notice when Kadam-san stopped the car.

I felt something warm touch my arm. Ren had stuck his head between the seats and was rubbing his head against my arm. Both he and Kadam-san looked worried.

"Kagome-san are you alright? You haven't responded for quite a while?" Kadam-san asked.

I smiled and tried to pull myself together. "I'm fine Kadam-san. I was just thinking about the past that's all."

He nodded in understanding after a moment. "We have arrived Kagome-san."

I looked outside then turned back to him. "We're in the middle of a jungle, what could he possibly want to do here?"

"Don't be afraid, Ren will protect you."

"As I mentioned before Kadam-san, I can protect myself. Few things frighten me anymore." One of them being a furious Sesshoumaru. I though sarcastically.

Kadam-san laughed lightly and walked around to open the door for me. I stepped out and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Kagome-san, but he will need you, you must go. It's something he can't do without you and may not even be able to do with you."

There were very few things I couldn't help someone with. And Ren probably wouldn't need math in the jungle. I just couldn't image what they wanted. "Fine, when will you pick us up?"

"I will go into town to purchase a few items. I'll meet you back here in three or four days. I may end up having to wait for a couple of nights. He might not find what he is searching for the first couple of days."

Kadam-san handed me an extra bag, a bottle of bug spray, and some sunscreen. I applied both then returned them to my backpack.

I sighed as I watched Kadam-san pull away in the Jeep. I miss the air conditioning already.

I grabbed my backpack and lifted the extra bag Kadam-san gave me and said, "Lead the way Ren." We walked together in the jungle for the rest of the afternoon.

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Later I heard a rumbling noise ahead but couldn't quite make out what it was. As we continued to walk it grew. We walked through a grove of trees and into a small clearing. Finally I saw the source of the sound.

A large and beautiful waterfall lay before us. Water flowed down grey stone into a large and clear pool at the bottom. Hundreds of butterflies rested on the bushes around us. Some were brown with light cream spots. Others were a dull brown-black with blue strips and spots.

I smiled as several butterflies settled on me. Butterflies were practically the only bug I could tolerate.

I heard a voice say, "It's beautiful isn't it? It's my favorite place in the whole world."

"It is, I've seen a few waterfalls before but nothing like this one." I responded.

Ren guided me a little way along a path by the falls. "We'll make camp here, Go ahead and sit down. I have something I need to tell you."

I sat down on the grass and watched as he began to pace back and forth. There are probably a few things I should tell you as well Ren.

"The reason we're here is because I need to find my brother."

"Your brother?" I asked surprised. Ren hadn't mentioned his brother to me before. I had assumed that Ren either resented him, or he was dead.

Ren nodded. "Kadam-san believes that he still lives here in this jungle." He turned around to look at the waterfall, then sat down across from me. "I believe he's still alive, it's just a feeling I have. My plan is to search the area in ever-widening circles. Eventually, one of us will cross the other's scent. If he doesn't show up or I can't catch his scent in a few days, we'll go back find Kadam-san, and continue on."

"What exactly do you want me to do?" I asked uncertainly. I had dealt with some family problems before, but I probably couldn't help the two of them that much. It would ultimately come down to the two of them.

"Wait here, I'm hoping that if he won't listen to me, meeting you might convince him. Also, I hope that –" he trained off.

"Hope what?" He's not out to repair their relationship, Ren wants something from his brother.

He shook his head. "It's not important now."

He jumped up. "Let me help you set up camp quickly before I begin my search."

Ren took off for firewood while I took a tent out of the extra bag Kadam-san had given me. This looks complicated. I began to read the directions for the tent. Oh well, if I can't get it up then I'll just have to sleep under the stars again.

Ren returned and had a fire going before I had even finished reading. He laughed at my frustration with the tent. "I thought you had been camping a lot before. You barely batted an eye when we slept in the jungle last time."

"It's not like I can help that. I've never used a tent when camping before."

He frowned and asked, "Then how did you camp before?"

I shifted awkwardly and began to spread out the tent. "I just used a sleeping bag. It was never that bad. I loved to watch the stars at night, you can't see them in Tokyo.'

He leaned over and smiled. "Here let me help you. I really don't know how to set these things up either."

It took a little while but it turned out to be pretty simple. Ren said, "We didn't have tents like these three hundred years ago. They look similar but these are much more complicated. We just used wooden poles."

He walked over to me and kissed my hand. "Keep the fire going. It scares away wild animals. I'm going to circle a few times, but I'll be back before it gets dark." Ren bounded off into the jungle as a tiger.

I used the things Kadam-san had provided to reheat dried food. I probably could have done better with some other ingredients. After all I became a master of cooking outside during my travels.

As the sky began to darken Ren returned. He placed more wood on the fire and said, "No sign of him yet." I went into the tent as he changed into a tiger and sat at the entrance. I used his back as support and covered myself with a sheet. I fell asleep to the sound of his purr.

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Ren left early the next morning and returned around lunch. I was attempting to get some of the snarls out of my hair.

"Here Kagome. I brought you something." He held out three mangos.

"Thanks, but do I want to know where they came from?" I asked

"Monkeys." He simply responded.

"Monkeys?" I stared at him. "What do you mean by monkeys?"

"Monkeys don't like tigers, because tigers eat monkeys. So when one comes around they pummel the tiger with fruit or feces. Lucky for me, today the only threw fruit."

"I can't imagine monkeys taste very good."

Ren laughed. "They taste awful, like meaty tennis balls and they smell like feet." He paused as a slow smile appeared. "Now a nice juicy deer, that us delectable." He began to make exaggerated eating motions.

I smiled sadly. "I'd rather not hear about your hunting." While I had hunted in the traditional way on occasion, being stalked by demons all the time had left a bad impression.

"Really? I quite enjoy hunting." Ren froze in place then lowered himself into a crouch, balanced on the balls of his feet. He gave me a feral grin.

I shuddered. He looks more animal than human. Being hunted was an experience I never wished to repeat. Not to mention the time I lost worried about when Naraku had us under observation.

"Ren." I said softly, hoping he would stop.

"When you're stalking your prey, you must freeze in place and hide, remaining that way for a long time, if you fail, your pre eludes you." He slowly crept forward.

"Ren." I whispered again.

He leapt at me. "And you will go hungry." He finished.

He must have sensed my discomfort because he stopped and relaxed his posture.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Kagome. It won't happen again."

"Please don't do that again. You can't image the terror of always being hunted."

He looked around the walked back and picked up the fruit. "So do you want any or not? I'll wash and peel it for you."

I took this as an apology and said, "Sure, just as long as it's the inside. Considering how it came to be here."

While he peeled and washed the fruit, I took a moment to compose myself. I was ashamed to have reacted so badly to a simple joke. Ren hadn't been trying to hurt me, he had been trying to get me to laugh at him.

I sighed. Lately a lot of my memories are resurfacing. I hope it's just that. And I wasn't like it was a bad thing, I wanted to remember the good though, not the other experiences. It was causing trouble I didn't need right now.

I looked towards Ren. I'll tell him tonight. He deserves an explanation.

He came back and handed me a few slices of the mango. We sat next to each other while we ate. Simply enjoying each other's presence and the beautiful waterfall. That reminds me. .

"Ren is it safe to swim by the waterfall?" It looked okay, but with some things it was better to get another opinion.

"Sure it should be safe enough. I used to come here all the time to escape the palace and be alone for a while to think.

He looked at me. "In fact you're the first person I've ever shown it to, other than my family and Kadam-san of course."

"The first waterfall I saw was from behind."

"What do you mean by that?" Ren questioned me.

"Exactly that, I went through it backwards and never saw it again." I laughed. Kouga hadn't really given me a chance.

"That's certainly odd."

"You think so too?"

We finished off the mangos before I asked, "Could you leave for a bit? I want to change."

He stood up and bowed dramatically. "Never let it be said that Prince Alagan Dhiren Rajaram denied the request of a beautiful lady."

He changed into a tiger and trotted off into the jungle. After I was sure he was gone I went back to the tent and changed into my swim suit and T-shirt. I dove into the crystal clear water. I explored the pond a bit before moving towards the falls.

I sat on a large flat rock in the shade that was blasted by the spay of water. Ahh cool and peaceful at last.

Of course Ren just had to ruin my moment by running out of the jungle and leaping into the water. He landed right in the center of the pool, sending ripples everywhere. I laughed a bit as he swam around. He went underneath the falls and came up behind me.

I eye him cautiously. "What are you doing – Hey!" he pushed me into the water then jumped in after me. I shook my head at him as we resurfaced. He can be so childish sometimes.

We swam around a bit before I found another rock. This one was positioned directly underneath the water flow. I sat there enjoying the water around me when I heard a small thump above. Several small rocks landed around me as I tensed.

Without thinking I reached up to hit a large rock that would have collided with my head. It was shattered on impact with my fist. I turned back towards Ren. Oopps.

I know you all want to see a fight scene, they're coming I promise you. I can't put them in where they weren't before. I can't just make Ninjas attack or something like that. That would just be stupid. Guess what? Somebody stuck a nail in my tire. Is that what people do when they're bored? Stick nails in tires and drop rocks on people? Anyways the poll is closed. One Piece wins, my new story 'The Contract' will hopefully be up soon. Next time, Kagome finally reveals who she is to Ren, well a little bit. Otherwise it's no fun.